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OAS Permanent Council Receives the Minister Foreign Affairs of Panama

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today received in a special meeting the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, Francisco Álvarez de Soto, who highlighted the "historic moment" the hemispheric institution is going through, referring to the open debate on a new Strategic Vision to review current mandates and to adapt the Organization to the challenges of the twenty-first century.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama began his address by expressing support for the initiative of the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, on the need for a new Strategic Vision for the OAS and indicated that the next General Assembly, which will take place in Paraguay between June 3-5, should discuss the issue. "Hopefully in the next General Assembly proposals will emerge to allow this great institution to better respond to changing times," said the Panamanian Foreign Minister.

“In welcoming this new strategy, my government considers it imperative that the OAS anchor itself on the four pillars of its constitutive Charter, and does not weaken itself with activities that, while important, can be undertaken in other environments. Within these pillars, democracy and human rights are essential to the stability of the member countries, and therefore for the whole Hemisphere," said Foreign Minister Álvarez de Soto.

"The OAS is being debated at a historical moment, on one hand internally the Organization recognizes that it needs a strategic vision, while externally the public makes criticisms that consider that this is an Organization that cannot give effective responses when faced with reality of its members," he added.

The chief diplomat concurred with Secretary General Insulza with respect to the inclusive nature of the hemispheric institution and its role in the promotion of democracy."The OAS is comprised of sovereign, diverse countries, and legitimized by democracy acting with a common and consensual agenda in full equality of conditions. This should be, in the view of Panama, the OAS of the twenty-first century: modern, redesigned, and fit to the needs of the region, very distant relative of those present when it emerged during the Cold War," he said.

The Panamanian Foreign Minister said that in the debate on the Strategic Vision, member states should define what they want for the OAS and how to achieve those goals. "We the member states need to understand the need to put the OAS on more modern paths," he said. He added that it “is important that the OAS focus on those things it does well and on those activities that makes it unique compared to the rest of the international, regional, or quasi-regional organizations that make up the multilateral architecture in the global context.” In this regard, he said that the OAS must continue giving priority to the defense of democracy and human rights, -which together with security and development are its four key pillars- and cited Article 1 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter which states: "The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy and governments the obligation to promote and defend it."

In his address, Foreign Minister Álvarez de Soto said the OAS should comply completely with its responsibility as a multilateral hemispheric body for political dialogue, and should be the natural stage on which the states of the Americas converge to debate issues on the common agenda and build bridges to resolve them. "The different views on the past, present and future role of the Organization should be part of this important debate that all member states must take to move the OAS to new horizons," he said. He added: "However, Panama thinks that this debate should be constructive and not destructive, and must be inclusive and non-sectarian." He also noted that "OAS has to be place for all and there should be no imposition from one State over another State. That is why Panama is emphatic in stating that this Organization is not meant to become a second level body, nor is it destined to disappear," he added.

Moreover, the Panamanian Foreign Minister expressed his government's concern over the situation in Venezuela, and expressed his hope that the country "find the path that leads to a frank and sincere dialogue in all sectors that make up its society to achieve peace and harmony that we all want for them and for all of our Hemisphere." He added that "Panama reiterates today what has been said before, its proposals to the OAS on this situation have always been on a plane of absolute respect for the people and government of Venezuela, understanding that the situation must be resolved between Venezuelans," and added that his government supported the dialogue initiative being led by UNASUR at this time in the South American country.

Quoting the former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Minister Álvarez de Soto said: "We respect the sovereignty and political-ideological character of each country, we respect each country, and we only want to integrate, to grow closer together, because it is essential for the future of our people and that reality transcends internal political situations.” Following this line of thought, he said Panama gives particular relevance to the different processes of regional integration, hemispheric forums and projects of high relevance such as CELAC, SICA, ALADI, MERCOSUR, the Pacific Alliance, CARICOM, and the OAS itself, among others.

In addition, the Panamanian Foreign Minister referred to the Seventh Summit of the Americas to be held in 2015 in his country, and announced that Panama, as host, will endeavor to include Cuba in the meeting of the Presidents and Heads of State of the Hemisphere. "The summit does not belong to Panama, it belongs to the Americas. And so we look forward to the cooperation of all governments so that within the OAS we continue to work on the necessary transformation in the return of the Republic of Cuba. It's time that, in the context of the new realities of our Hemisphere, we - all the nations that share that Hemisphere - have the ability to find political space to bring about the presence of Cuba in the OAS and all its forums," he said.

For his part, the OAS Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Albert Ramdin, highlighted the development and transformation that Panama has experienced in recent decades, with a focus on the contribution that this development has made for the rest of the region.

“Over the past decades Panama has made significant positive strides and remarkable transformation, especially in the strengthening of its democracy, peace and economic and social development,” said the Assistant Secretary General, who also commented on the role that the hemispheric institution has played in the process. “The OAS is proud to have been part of the democratic process in Panama, and again in May this year the OAS will observe the presidential elections in that country,” he declared.

The Surinamese diplomat recalled that nearly 37 years ago the signing of the handover agreement of the Panama Canal took place at OAS headquarters. “The moment of the signing of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties will remain in the history of this Organization as an example for the Americas and the world of the extraordinary power of dialogue, goodwill and cooperation between countries for the peaceful settlement of conflicts and differences,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Chair of the Permanent Council, Jacinth Henry-Martin, also welcomed Foreign Minister Álvarez de Soto, in her capacity as Permanent Representative of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis and Chair of the body and asked for applause for the Panamanian diplomat.

Ambassador Henry-Martin recalled that Panama has officiated as a venue for top-level ministerial meetings in recent years, and also stressed the importance of the upcoming Summit of the Americas to be hosted by Panama, to outline the future agenda of the region. The Permanent Representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis said the Seventh Summit of the Americas represents an opportunity to present new ideas and the possibility of developing a new roadmap for Inter-American relations and its politics.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The video of the event will be available here.

The audio of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-138/14